This invention relates generally to a crossbow having a foot stirrup for use in cocking the crossbow, which foot stirrup is inset behind the bow prod.
Crossbows conventionally have included a foot stirrup for use in cocking. This is necessary so that the user can place his foot in the stirrup to hold the front of the crossbow against the ground while the user pulls the bow string back to a cocked position with his or her hands. Such prior art stirrups have conventionally extended out the front end of the stock of the crossbow, thus being positioned forward of the bow prods. For many users, particularly those who are tall, such an arrangement is satisfactory, in that they can bend over the crossbow stock and pull the string into the cocked position. However, some users of shorter stature have experienced difficulty in bending over the combined length of the crossbow stock and the forwardly projecting stirrup to grasp the string for cocking. For this reason, it has become desirable to develop a crossbow structure in which the combined length of the crossbow stock and the foot stirrup is shorter than the conventional arrangements.